Thread: do Balrongs have wings?

Νinerl has made 308 posts and is a Dwarf from Glittering Caves and is not online.
Posted Friday 9th June 2006 (04:14pm)

Hi everybody!I've recently read a couple of essays on balrongs and Iam trying to find out if they had wings or not.In the books it is not made clear!(sorry for asking all the time but i need help) I think that if they had wings the balrong Gandalf fought with could have flown away if it had enough strengh.What's your opinion?Thanks!!!

Lord Of All has made 633 posts and is an Elf from Lothlorien and is not online.
Posted Friday 9th June 2006 (06:42pm)

There is an argument for and against wings:

"The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm."
(The Lord of the Rings)

This shows that the Balrog only had things which looked like wings, not actually having wings itself.

Here is something saying the opposite:

"It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm."
(Lord of the Rings)

You will notice it doesn't say LIKE in this quote, therefore it does imly that it had wings. However this is becuase Tolkien has already said 'LIKE wings' in the previous quote so there was no need to do it again.

In my view Balrogs may have had things which looked like wings, but were made out of the shadow surrounding the body of the balrog, not the actual body itself. Therefore it could not use the Wings to fly.
Even if it did have wings it is highly unlikely that they could fly becuase all the known Balrogs were killed by falling from a height. If they could fly they could stabalise themselves.

(Ecthelion killed and got killed by Gothmog, Glorfindel killed and got killed by another balrog, Gandalf killed and got killed by Durins bane).

Plus a small point even if the could fly (which they couldn't) it is doubtful they were ever fly away from the enemies.

Morambar has made 1022 posts and is an Elf from Lothlorien and is not online.
Posted Saturday 10th June 2006 (11:27am)

Or would; they were pretty big bad a-ses. Gothmogs death had less to do with falling from a great height than with having Ecthelions spiked helm through it's gut and that worthy wrapping him up and pushing him into the greatest fountain in Gondolin though. You'll recall from Mr. Martinezs essay there's considerable question over whether a winged Balrog had room to unfurl his wings in the battle with Gandalf, while in the similar battle with Glorfindel following the Fall of Gondolin we find the combatants in a similarly cramped mountain pass and chasm. For completeness, yes the first instance is a simile but it's unclear whether the second mention of "wings" is a continuation of it (the language does not encourage this position; an established simile doesn't become a physical reference, but remains a simile) and the Silmarillion has Balrogs "flying" to the aid of Morgoth in his encounter with Ungoliant. There's also the issue of Balrog most likely being Maiar and not being so much contained but manifested physically, in which case any one Balrog could have or lack wings at its discretion. Decide for yourself, because it's unclear from canon, though arguments can be made both ways. I lean towards "yes." One more hit for the search "Do Balrogs...?"

Grondmaster has made 25465 posts and is a Dwarf from Glittering Caves and has sailed into the West.
Posted Saturday 10th June 2006 (10:34pm)

For more discussion on the topic of Balrog wings, please see: Balrogs, the balrogs wings, and the belrog. Especially take note of Plastic Squirrel's lengthy post under the latter topic. It contains a long winded article lifted from The Encyclopedia of Arda and basically says you can't get there from here. Meaning after all is said and done, neither side can come up with the definitive answer. So the argument goes on.

I personally lean towards the wings of ephemerous smoke and shadow school; believing that their wings were for intimidation rather than flying: Morgoth had Dragons for that, except Glaurung who was a great non-flying worm type of Dragon.

(I copied most of this from one of my previous posts in one of those other threads I've linked to above.)

Before you write anymore here, read those other threads and then decide the best thread under which to add your comments. Thanks.

Grondmaster has made 25465 posts and is a Dwarf from Glittering Caves and has sailed into the West.
Posted Monday 12th June 2006 (10:56pm)

Unless wings on a sword are small and form the hilt, they are only going to add unnecessary weight and be more of a hindrance than a help. And if Glaurung was wingless, why also shouldn't Gurthang be, as was Caudimordax?

Leelee has made 2293 posts and is an Elf from Rivendell and is not online.
Posted Monday 15th January 2007 (07:09pm)

I think they had wings, almost as a cruel joke of their not being good and not being able to use them, they are weighed down with great evil and so the wings are a fake majestic touch that inspire even more terror and awe in those that have to face them.
They totally freaked me out, wings or no.

Turion has made 104 posts and is a Dunedain from Osgiliath and is not online.
Posted Monday 15th January 2007 (07:35pm)

try the book "the science of middle earth" which conmtains a lenghty discustoin on balrog wings, down to working out the wing span needed to actually lift a creature the size of a balrog off the ground

Leelee has made 2293 posts and is an Elf from Rivendell and is not online.
Posted Tuesday 16th January 2007 (06:52pm)

Oh that is correct. I was just reading Tolkien's letters last evening and it talked about that, it was almost a sort of clothing they put on,so it is true . they could look stlyin' however they chose I suppose. Bah! they chose badly!

This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the J. R. R. Tolkien Estate Ltd. or any of its publishers or licensees, New Line Cinema or AOL Time Warner Inc. It does not imply or claim any rights to Tolkien's characters or creations. The Lord of the Rings is a registered trademark of Saul Zaentz Company trading as Tolkien Enterprises. Copyrights and trademarks for the books, films, articles, and other promotional materials are held by their respective owners and their use is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright Law.